X-Men: Mimic
by RyoshiMorino
Summary: Swallowed by shadow, Shinji finds himself falling into an unfamiliar place, cold and covered in snow. As he begins to freeze to death, he is found by Colonel William Stryker, and a new kind of hell awaits the former pilot.
1. Chapter 1: Project-M

_**1: Project-M**_

* * *

 _Shinji looked out across the ruined plains, his legs trembling, "I...I can't do this, Professor."_

 _Charles rolled up to him and placed his hand on the boy's wrist, "Shinji, you're the only one that can." The Telekinetic said, "You are possibly the strongest out of the two of you, even if your mutation is man-made."_

 _"I can't control it!" Shinji shouted, tears forming in his eyes, "I never asked for this! I never asked to be brought here or torn apart by a bunch of maniacs, or become a some kind of hero!"_

 _"I know," Charles said, smiling sadly, "Torn from your world, and forced into something so much worse at only eighteen." Charles looked in the same direction as the boy, "Shinji, believe me, I would do this myself if I could, but because of your powers, you could easily get in close enough and land a fatal blow against him if necessary. But you only need to sap enough of his strength so that we can get him back in his tomb."_

 _Shinji trembled as an arc of lightning crossed the sky as Storm let loose with her powers. He looked down at his black-gloved hands, and then at the people behind him. Charles, Logan, Rogue, Kurt all looked at him with determination in their eyes. "You've all done so much for me," Shinji said, his tears beginning to flow, "I don't even belong here, and you treated me as if I were family - "_

 _"Kid, you are family," Logan stepped forward, knocking him in the shoulder, the clank of metal sound quietly as the blow barely swayed the smaller boy, "There ain't no one here that's gonna say that you're not."_

 _"He's right," Rogue said, her arms crossed, "And I can understand how you feel," she looked down at her own hands clad in gloves, "You and me, we're the same...you're just stronger than me."_

 _Shinji shook his head, "No, I'm not. I'm not strong at all." The boy said, smiling at all of them, his friends...his family. He reached over and slid one of his gloves off, revealing black-tipped fingers, "I'll try, though...for her."_

 _Logan smiled, "Fightin' for a woman's just as good a reason as any."_

 _Shinji nodded to the man, and looked back across the field as Storm and Cyclops kept the fight going. Without any other words, Shinji lifted into the air. It was easy for him to levitate now, he at least had a handle on his...gifts._

 _In the years that he had come to this world, so many things had been made clear to him, except the why._ Even if I don't know why I'm here, _he thought as he flew through the air toward the battle,_ I'm not sorry. _His eyes began to glaze over to a milky white as thunder crashed overhead, and lightning bolts danced across his skin._ I don't care what happens to me anymore, _he thought with a small smile,_ I don't even care what happens to the world. _He homed in on the five figures that were fighting below. One of whom bore a striking similarity to his mentor._ But I'm bringing you home, Laura, even if it's that last thing I do!

 _"Apocalypse!" Shinji roared over the thunder._

 _The large blue-skinned mutant turned to him as he touched down. "Shinji Ikari," he intoned, "A most blessed child of mine."_

 _"I had a father," Shinji growled, "And believe me, he makes you look like a saint. Now let them go!"_

 _Apocalypse smiled, "I think not. This world, even by your own understanding, needs to be cleansed of the weak, and feeble. Once I have done that, then you may have her back."_

 _Shinji's eyes glowed red, as did his fists as the clenched tightly. "Angel," he said, looking at the winged mutant fighting with Storm, "Havoc," he looked to the two brothers fighting with the same energy coming from himself, and then looked to the two women by the giant's side, "Amara, Laura." Shinji sneered at him, "With all the power you have, you still need these four as your guards?"_

 _"I have been betrayed in the past."_

 _Shinji shook his head, "You're afraid," he said, making the mutant frown, "Afraid of death, and afraid of betrayal. That's all you have, your own fear, just like me."_

 _"If you are so afraid, Shinji Ikari," Apocalypes said, "Then why do you face me now, even though you do not fully comprehend your own gifts?"_

 _Shinji looked him in the eyes, "Because I finally have something_ worth _fighting for!"_

* * *

 _How did my life lead to this moment? I don't understand any of it. I don't want any of the pain. All I wanted was..._

* * *

=|Distant Past|=

He didn't understand why he was still alive. Nor did he care. All that he did care about was that he was alive, for the time being at least. The cold was almost as bad as the black abyss that had swallowed him. One moment he had been about to suffocate, then next he was falling from his pilot's seat, and into a freezing wilderness.

All at once, he had never been so happy to be alive, or so afraid of dying at the same time.

It was his first time seeing snow. A small smile crept to the boy's lips as he took in the frozen rain. He was in an evergreen forest, covered in blanket of the stuff, but his wonder at the sight as the biting cold overtook him.

The plug suit was not meant for cold.

He began to wander through the forest, hoping to find some sign of civilization.

Being soaked in LCL, his body soon began to shut down. It wasn't a sheer force of will that kept him going. But only for a little while. He collapsed in the snow, not seeing the large wall only feet in front of him.

He was only slightly aware of his surroundings as the sound of the snow crunching under heavy feet reached his ears.

"Strange for someone to be out here," someone said, "And a kid, no less?"

"What do we do with him, Colonel?" Another asked.

"Bring him in," another man said, in a voice that remind him eerily of his father, "I want him tested."

"But he's just a kid," one of them said, "And he's half-dead, what could we get out of him?"

He heard footsteps coming toward him, and then an annoying beeping sound. "It's weak, but he's got it." The Colonel said, "Put him on the truck. I want him put on Project M."

He felt himself being dragged across the ground, and lifted before being thrown into what felt like a truck bed. "Once we get back to the lab, contact Trask and see if he's available. I want this one to go right!" He heard the colonel say.

"Should we put him on ice like Project J?"

"No, he's perfect," the colonel said, "He just needs a little more programming."

His consciousness was fading fast as he tried to open his eyes again if only to get a look at his surroundings. Three men were seated around him in a supply truck like the ones used by the army. Were these men military?

" _D-Dare_?" He rasped out.

"Was that Japanese?"

One of the men leaned toward him, "Hey, it's awake."

"You speak English, kid?"

"Y-Yes...where am I?" He asked weakly.

The man smirked at him, "Doesn't matter. You're with us, and we're gonna get you better again. Clear?"

He nodded weakly, unwilling to argue.

"Good," he said, "What's your name, son?"

"Shinji...Shinji Ikari..."

"Run a back ground check," the man said as his vision began to blur again, "I want to know if he has any immediate family, or if he'll be missed, anything!"

"Yes, Colonel Stryker."

The next time Shinji awoke was to find himself strapped down on an operating table, his arms and legs strapped down at the wrists and ankles as a blaring light shone down on him. "Another unfamiliar ceiling."

"Ah, you're awake," said a man off to his left, and he turned to see a dark-skinned man in a lab coat walking toward him, "How are we feeling?"

Shinji grimaced, and tugged at his restraints, "I feel...better...but why am I tied down like this?"

The man swept into the room, checking a computer screen the looked far more advanced than what he was used to seeing. "A minor technicality," he said pleasantly, and came over to his side, and tapped a bag attached to an IV drip, "You see, when you were brought in, you were quite near death, but we managed to bring you back after a little extreme medicine." He detached the bag, and replaced it with another, filled with a blue liquid marked with a large black "M". "It was touch and go there for a while, because you reacted violently to the medications, and had to be strapped down. One of my assistants was injured quite badly during one of your more...extreme reactions."

This stunned him. "I'm sorry, is that person alright?"

"Oh, yes," he said, smiling, "It was only a scratch above his eye. And it seems that now we don't have to worry about anymore reactions like that as your body seems to have accepted the medication."

Shinji eyed the bag suspiciously, "What's in that, if you don't mind me asking?"

He nodded with that ever present smile on his face, "It's merely cocktail of steroids, and antibiotics meant to strengthen your weakened muscles and regenerate some of the tissue damage that occurred when frost bite set in." He said, and pulled up a stool next to his table, "Now, why don't you tell me a little bit about yourself? We've had you here for a few days now, and every background check we've done on Shinji Ikari turns up blank." He pulled a clipboard and pen from a bed side table, "In other words, Mister Ikari, you don't exist."

"But that's - "

"First question; What year is it?"

"It's two-thousand-fifteen, isn't it?" Shinji said uncertainly.

The pen stilled on the clipboard, "Mister Ikari...it's only two-thousand." Shinji's heart monitor spiked, "Let's continue, shall we? Nationality?"

"Japanese."

"Age?"

"Fourteen."

"Date of birth?"

"June sixth, two-thousand-one."

"That would make you about negative one year old," the man said, "Alright, the next few questions I need to ask will sound quite odd, but please, bare with me. Have you ever experienced anything strange happening to your body?"

"Like what?" Shinji asked, mainly because there had been many things happen to him that he found strange.

"Any abnormal protrusions, voices in your head, burning of the eyes, that sort of thing," he said, "Just something that wouldn't be normal with a healthy human body."

Shinji shook his head, "Nothing like that."

"Alright," he scribbled down on his clipboard, "Now, when we brought you in, we found you covered in residue from a foreign liquid, and your lungs were also full of it, but rather than drowning in it, you seemed to have derived oxygen from this liquid."

"It's called LCL," Shinji said, "Don't ask me what it means, because no one ever told me. All I know is that I needed to be submerged in it to be able to..do as I was told."

"I see," the man said, scribbling down his answer, "I take it this is a sore subject, so we'll stop right there. Anyway, the drugs seem to be working their magic on you again, so I'll leave you to your rest."

Shinji nodded, feeling drowsy all of the sudden, "Alright...but where am I?"

The man turned to him and smiled, "You're at the Alkali Lake Hospital, Mister Ikari, and you can call me Doctor Trask." He left the boy to sleep, and met Stryker outside the door, "Everything he said was the truth." He informed the colonel. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say the boy had the ability to pass through time...such an amazing ability, though!"

"The DNA we extracted from him shows a dormant X-gene with untouched abilities." Stryker said, "How is he taking to the mutagen?"

Task looked down at his papers, "Over the last few days, since his body's calmed down from the adaptations, I'd say he's ready to be tested...we just need a mutant with a passive skill..."

Stryker smirked and pushed off the wall, "We have some tissue samples left over from Weapon X I'd like to test on him," he said, striding down the hall, "If he's able to take on those abilities, then I plan on making him our next candidate for adamantium bonding."

Trask followed after him, "Do you really think that's a wise decision? Remember how Weapon X turned out, and the second generation clone is no better than the parental unit."

"Oh, I think we'll be able to handle this one," Stryker said, smiling as the prospects began to form, "If it works, we have the ultimate weaponized mutant, and if it doesn't...well, he doesn't have any family, now does he?"

Trask smirked, "I like the way you think, Bill."

=x=

Shinji knew it had been a long time since he had last woken up, as he was stiff and sore from sitting still for so long. What he awoke to was multiple men and women around him.

"Good morning, Mister Ikari," the same man from before entered his line of sight, blocking out the light, "I'm glad you've come back to us. We nearly lost you again."

"You did?" He asked, his voice sounding strangely hoarse.

"Yes," he said, "Another bad reaction I'm afraid, so we had to switch you to a different medication. You should be fine now, however."

Shinji shook his head to try to clear the fog of sleep from his mind, a burning sensation in his hands. "Why do my hands hurt?"

"Your hands?" Trask asked, having a look for himself, "Ah, seems like you're taking to the medication better than we had hoped!"

Shinji furrowed his brow, and raised his head to look for himself, and was horrified to see three bony prongs protruding from his knuckles. "Wh-what is this!?" He yelled, looking at the doctor, "What the hell did you do to me?!"

Trask chuckled as he motioned for someone over to his side, "Now, now, there's no need to get upset." He said, smiling, "You see, when we found you almost a month ago, yes, it has already been nearly a full month," he said, answering Shinji's shocked expression, "We found that you had a dormant gene my associates and I had been looking for for quite some time, and since our background checks came up empty, we saw no reason not to go ahead and make you our...I don't want to say _guinea pig_ , but that's more or less what you areat the moment."

"Bastards!" Shinji strained against his bindings, "What gives you the right to do this to me!?"

Trask simply kept the smile on his face, "Why the fact that you, Mister Ikari, are no more human than a real guinea pig is," he said, as Shinji struggle, and felt himself being moved, and noticed that he was being carried over to a tank fulled with water, and around it were small vats of what looked like liquid metal bubbling over. "You see, Mister Ikari, not long ago, at least not in my own opinion, Homosapiens found out that, once again, there was yet another species to content with, dubbed Homosuperior, or the mutant, in the common tongue."

"What's that got to do with me?" Shinji asked nervously as he was set over the tank.

"I'm so glad you asked," Trask smiled, "You see, my dear boy, you are a mutant yourself, but I think that you, perhaps, are from a different time, or even dimension, given your skewed sense of time, and your rather strange clothing when we found you."

Before Shinji could ask what that meant, an oxygen mask was placed over his mouth and nose.

"As to what your powers would have been?" Trask went on, "That's going to remain unknown, as the mutation hadn't activated yet, and we saw fit to alter it with a new mutagen, our Project Mimic." Trask said proudly, "As the name suggests, the mutagen we have been treating you with is a variation of a mutation we found in a young woman we managed to sneak DNA from, her power being to temporarily borrow the powers of other mutants." He reached over and tapped Shinji on the forehead, making the boy want to thrash, but knew it wouldn't do any good.

"Your variation is a stronger version," Trask continued, "We were able to isolate the mutation, and strengthen it, making the transferal permanent. Unfortunately, this only steals a small portion of the mutant's abilities, allowing the original to retain, and recover their abilities. You, however will also retain those abilities, making you quite powerful, and our finest, most powerful weapon against the mutants. An anti mutant...mutant, I suppose."

The bone claws at his knuckles itched to get a hold of the man as his restraints creaked.

"Beginning bonding process in three...two...one...drop him!"

Shinji was suddenly dropped into the freezing tank of water and howled as he tried to free himself, but he wasn't strong enough. Then he felt needles pricking his skin, and drilling into his flesh and bone painfully. His screams of agony were cut off by the water around him, only causing bubbles to rise. That's when the fire came. His insides literally felt like they were melting as the needles injected him with boiling hot liquid coating his insides, and searing his nerves.

Shinji tried to suck as much water into his mouth as he could almost willing himself to drown to stop the pain, even going so far as to bite off his tongue, only for it to grow back withing a few seconds.

The water hissed and steamed as the liquid metal drained into the boy while Trask paced nervously, waiting for the process to take effect. "Status?"

"Vitals are holding, sir," one of the lab assistants said, "Pulse, respiration and EEG are elevated but holding stable."

"Good," Trask murmured, "He may just survive this."

* * *

 _All I wanted...was for the fighting to be over...to be a normal student in school...someone...someone please help me!_

* * *

The pulse and heart monitors suddenly spiked through the red lines. Shinji roared and tore through his restraints, rising up out of the water.

 _BANG_

The bullet struck him in the heart, knocking him back as unconsciousness threatened to overwhelm him. But he felt the bullet begin to push its way back out of the wound.

"Sedate him! He's breaking loose!"

"Shoot him!"

"X 23, put him down." Stryker's voice said.

A blur of black came crashing into him as claws not unlike his own pierced his chest.

His new skeleton didn't allow the claws to do their work, however, and pushed the unknown assailant off of him. The person wore a mask over their face, along with a pair of goggles that hid their eyes, but Shinji could... _smell_ that the person was female.

And skilled.

His flight instincts took over from there, and he made for the nearest door. "Don't just stand there, stop him!" Trask roared. But he was too far ahead of them for them to catch him.

He heard shouting behind him, and gunshots, some of them grazing him, but they were only minor wounds, and didn't bother him much as he made his bid for freedom.

An alarlm blared overhead. " _Attenion: Specimen out of containment. The subject is a male teenager, and is not allowed to leave this facility alive. Take him alive if possible, but use of lethal force is authorized!"_

Crashing through the halls, not knowing where he was going, Shinji searched for any way out of the prison.

Suddenly, the same figure darted in front of him, blocking his path.

One each hand was a pair of razor sharp claws.

Shinji trembled, but clenched his own fists as his own claws slid out. "Please...let me go!"

She cocked her head to the side, as if she hadn't understood him.

"I won't tell anyone about this place, just please, let me leave!" Shinji repeated.

X 23 straightened, and looked like she was about to attack, making him worry. He was no match for her in a fight, he knew that much. But the faceless girl simply stabbed her claws through a metal door, and pushed it open.

Snow and fresh air flooded the hall, and Shinji felt tears of relief fall from his eyes, "Thank you." He rushed to the door, but stopped, looking back at her, "Will you come with me?"

She stepped back, shaking her head.

"But why?" Shinji asked, "You can't actually like it here?"

"It's all I know." She said, speaking for the first time.

Shinji reached out his hand, "It doesn't have to be," he said, his voice trembling, "All I used to know was fear, and anger, and the place I came from was nothing short of hell...I don't know this place, and neither do you, but maybe we can find a place in it?"

"X 23, what are you doing?!" Stryker's voice roared as he pelted down the hall toward them, "Stop them!"

X 23 looked from his hand to the approaching colonel before reaching for his hand.

Shinji turned and sprinted off into the snow with the girl right behind him.

=|Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters|=

Charles Xavier was a hard man to surprise, being a powerful Telepath, but today he was surprised by what he found while looking through Cerebro. Two new mutant signatures had caught his attention, and they were moving fast. As he took off the helmet, and wheeled out of the room he couldn't help but feel that these two were...oddly similar to someone else he knew.

"Scott, prep the Blackbird," he said to the waiting teenager outside the door, "We have some new students in need of assistance."

The young man nodded and stepped behind him as they made their way down the hall, "Should I ring anyone special?"

"Logan and perhaps Miss Pryde if she's awake." Charles said, "These two are going to be a handful if not handled correctly."

* * *

 _ **So, yeah, this is me on another trial run with a crossover story. This one I hope gets me fired up into my other stories. For those of you worrying about Shinji's Mimic ability making him too strong too fast, don't worry about that, because this is Shinji Ikari we're talking about. Timid, frightful, and an all around cry-baby until he gets pushed too far, and that's a pretty far line. Plus, he won't have full control over the powers he takes in unless he uses them in practice, which he'll be hesitant about.**_

 _ **As for the pairing, it's X-23(A.K.A. Laura 'Kinney' Howlett), Logan's clone/daughter. Let's face it, these two have almost the same issues, except that X 23 has one hell of a hair-trigger temper!**_

 _ **Anyway, if you like this story idea, them leave a review, and if you didn't like, feel free to not leave a thing and move on to the next story on your list.**_


	2. Chapter 2: Laura

_**2: Laura**_

* * *

"We need to keep moving," X 23 said as they jogged through the snow, "Even with your physical enhancements, you won't last if you stop now."

Shinji nodded, his bare feet raw and red from running through the snow, the edges of his toes bordering frost bite. They hadn't had time to look for any clothes for him, which left in in only a pair of boxers. Add to the fact that he had been wet when they blundered outside, Shinji was frozen.

"But I don't feel the cold," Shinji assured her.

"You won't," she said without looking back, "At least not until you hit extreme cold. They tested that on me once."

Shinji huffed tiredly as he struggled to keep up with her, "But you survived."

"Barely," she snarled angrily turning on him, "You were knocked out for the worst of everything they did you, but I was wide awake for all of it. The only thing you and I really share in this whole mess is the Adamantium bonding, and the fact that we're both on the run from those assholes!"

Shinji sighed, "I'm sorry...I just didn't think you were happy there."

"Happy?" The girl turned again, "Look, Mimic, I don't even know what that means." She said, pulling her goggles from her eyes, revealing them to be a deep, emerald green, "All I've ever known from my life is misery, and pain." She whipped around as angry tears started streaming down her face, "I bet where you're from, everything is perfect!"

Shinji snorted, gritting his teeth against a cold blast of wind, "I was treated like I didn't exist most of my life." Shinji grunted, "My father abandoned me for ten years, and only called for me when he had a use for me." He said, a familiar feeling of rage building in his chest.

Shinji saw her start to turn, and saw a flash of moisture on her cheek before she stopped herself, "Then you and I have something more in common."

They trudged on in silence for a time until they came into the mountains surrounding the valley, the stones biting into Shinji's feet painfully. But he kept up his pace and followed the girl, "Where are we going to go?"

"I don't know," X 23 said, with a grunt, "I've never had to go anywhere without a helicopter, or some sort of transport."

Shinji refrained from any sarcasm that might have slipped out. He did not want to feel those claws of hers again any time soon.

X 23 looked back over her shoulder at him, "You know you could just take off on your own." She said, sensing his irritation. "I'm more than capable of finding my own way, and you should be fine unless the temperatures hit below zero before you find shelter."

"No, no," Shinji sighed, forcing a smile, "I'll take my chances with you."

She snorted, "Your funeral."

Shinji let a short laugh, "If I'm gonna die, I'd rather do it in better company than Trask and his goons."

The girl huffed again, and continued on. "There's a cave system that runs through these mountains," she said, not looking back this time, "We should be safe enough until tomorrow."

Shinji slipped, his hands scraping against the rocks. As he looked at his hands, he saw a small amount of blood, but the wounds were already healing, and gone before he could blink. "Just what the hell did they do to me?"

"Didn't you hear Trask?" X 23 asked in a biting tone, "You were supposed to be a anti mutant weapon. My replacement."

"But how do I even use my...powers?"

"How the hell should I know?" She snapped, "Now hurry up, or we'll be out after dark."

"She's as bossy as Asuka," he muttered.

"I can hear you."

=x=

"Elf, so help me if you don't sit still!" Logan snarled at the blue-furred teen beside him.

"But Logan, this is my first real mission outside of Bayville!" The boy said, his tail swishing. "And it's two new mutants!"

His tail swiped around and passed through the girl behind him, who scowled, "Kurt, watch the tail!"

"Sorry, Kitty."

"Ugh, why are you even here?" Kitty asked, "Scott just asked for me and Mister Logan, and you just had to stick your pointy tail into this!"

Scott rolled his eyes behind his visor, "Really, I have no idea how this turned into a full blown team mission, Professor."

Charles gave a small laugh beside him, "It's quite alright, Scott. Nightcrawler could use the field experience."

"If anyone needed field experience, I would have asked Rogue." Scott sighed, "She could use some time away from Bayville."

Logan tried to drown out the two bickering teens as he made his way to the front of the jet, "So what are we looking for, Chuck?" The man asked, taking a seat next to the professor, "It's not like you to actually come along with us just to pick up a pair of squirts."

"You're right, Logan," Charles said, nodding slightly, "when I was searching them out with Cerebro, I felt something oddly familiar about both of them."

"Someone we've met before?" Logan asked.

"No, nothing like that," Charles shook his head, "If anything, I felt that these two have the same gift, but one of them is...something more."

Logan let out a low growl, "If they came from the area you said they did, then we can almost bet that we're gonna see something more than just these two." He said as he looked down below at the snow-covered mountains and forests. "This is Alkali Lake."

Scott looked at him in slight shock, "You mean where you lost your memories?"

"And where I made the biggest mistake I'd ever make," Logan growled, looking at the professor, "Chuck, there'd better be a good reason you brought Half-Pint to a place like this."

Charles looked at his old friend, "Yes, Logan, there is." He said, "These two are young...very young. Kitty may be able to reason with them easier than one of us could."

"You mean like how Nightcrawler tried to talk Rogue down before Shadow Cat tackled her?" Scott grinned.

"Hey!"

"In a way, yes, though I hope that this will not end so badly as that," Charles said as Kitty pouted, "But I felt that one of these two has a gentle soul, and will be easier to reason with. The other one...will take convincing."

Logan grumbled something and peered out the window before leaning out to get a better look. "Cyclops, hit the stealth mode," Logan growled, "We've got ATMs on the ground, as well as some heavier vehicles right behind them."

Scott was quick to tap the appropriate button, "Did they see us?"

"No, too far down," Logan growled, and rose, "open the bomb bay door."

"At this height?" Charles asked him, "Won't you be injured?"

Logan went to one of the lockers and pulled on a black jacket with his signature yellow stripes on the shoulders, "It won't cause me any damage that won't heal in a few seconds." He said, zipping up, "Besides, on the ground, I can track their scent, and probably find them faster than you can. If not, then I can have a little fun with these jackasses."

Kurt stepped up and placed his hand on his shoulder, "Why not let me port you down?" He asked, "It'll be easier and faster."

Logan smirked at the teen, "Good thinkin', Elf." He said as the hatch opened, "Get a clear field of vision," he told him, "And I'm ready when you are."

Kurt took hold of his shoulder tightly, "Here we go."

"Good luck, guys," Kitty said before they disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Scott, sweep toward the mountains," Charles said, reaching for his temples, "I'm going to try to scan the area for them. Any thought noise should come in quite clearly depending on how far they managed to get."

On the ground, Logan and Kurt hid in the trees as the war hardened mutant crouched low to the ground as if he were an animal on the prowl. Kurt hung back in the tree tops, hiding himself within the dense pine needles.

"I can't believe I'm freezing my ass off for a couple of runaway brats," one of the men grunted. "All of this trouble because Trask just couldn't sedate him before we did the bonding!"

Logan inched closer, his claws sliding out as he neared.

"It's bad enough that Weapon M got loose, but he had to take Weapon X2 with him," the same man grunted as he stomped close to Logan, who looked up with interest. "Honestly, what are we supposed to do when we find them? Send them to bed without supper?"

"Quit complaining," another man further up said, "The sooner we track them down, the sooner we get out of this damned weather."

"Didn't Stryker program the brat to be loyal to us?"

The man groaned, "Who knows, and who the hell cares?!" He snapped, glaring back at him, "We just need to find them before they get too far out of range."

As the man grumbled in return, Logan had heard more than enough to know that whoever they were hunting was exactly who Charles was looking for. That meant one thing and one thing only for the prowling mutant...time to raise hell!

"RAGH!" The men were taken completely by surprise as Logan sprang from the snow like a leopard, his claws outstretched as he crashed into first hunter. Kurt was close behind him when the gunfire started, porting in and out while taking weapons from the men, and jumping them from behind, throwing them into trees and into the snow from the high branches, or triping them up with his tail.

They made easy targets for Logan once he finished with his first victim.

For Kurt, it was his first time seeing Logan so savage. Normally, when he fought with him, he treated his targets rather gently and left them alive. No such luck for these poor devils, he found out quickly as Logan rammed all six of his claws through a man's chest. It became clear to him that this was no longer Logan, but the fabled Wolverine he'd heard so much about in Logan's earlier days on the road.

Not even the vehicles were spared as Wolverine picked the smaller ATVs up with ease, and hurled them into the larger trucks, causing explosions when they made contact.

Kurt then took to the trees once more in order to stay out of the man's way as he tore into the remaining men with such savagery that Kurt had to turn away for fear of being sick.

And then it was over.

Wolverine stood in the middle of the battlefield, tattered and bloodied, but uninjured. "Kurt," he turned to where the teen was perched, "Sorry you had to see something like that, kid, but with these guys, it's better for me not to hold anything back."

Kurt ported down to him, "It is...okay, but I don't think the professor will be happy about this."

"Knowing Chuck?" Logan grunted, scratching the back of his head, "No, he won't. Matter of fact, he may follow up on one of his threats." He said, and started down the path, "C'mon, we need to find those kids. It won't be long before reinforcements come out after these guys."

=x=

Shinji looked out of the mouth of the cave the had hidden in, and saw the large plume of smoke coming from the forests below. "I don't like the look of that." He said to the girl sitting next to him, "You think they know where we are?"

X 23 shrugged, "Don't know." She said, "I know I usually have a tracking chip implanted in me before each deployment, but not for a while," she pointed to his arms, "You couldn't have one because of the intense heat coming from the bonding process. It would've fried the chip right away."

Shinji sighed in relief, "That's good," he said, leaning back, "At least we don't have to worry about them finding us right off the bat." He looked back outside as another explosion erupted. "You know, when I thought about how snow would look, I never picture fiery explosions going along with it."

The girl looked at him, "Didn't you have snow where you came from?"

Shinji shook his head, "No, thanks to all the things that happened, the planet became too hot for such a thing." He said, looking at her, "You know, you could take the mask off? It's not like I don't know you're a girl."

Frowning behind her mask she reached up and pulled it over her head. Long tresses of brown hair fell down to the middle of her back. Her skin was a dark tan in coloration, and Shinji felt himself blushing at just how pretty she was.

X 23 cocked her head, "Is something wrong?"

Shinji jolted, "Uh, no, it's just...I don't think I know your name?"

"X 23, or Weapon X2 is what they've always called me." She grumbled, "Don't forget, I was designed by these people. I'm nothing more than a tool to them."

"Is that why you kept calling me Mimic?" Shinji asked, arching his brow as she nodded, "My name is Shinji Ikari, and there's got to be something that they called you?" He insisted, "What about your mom? Did she have a pet name for you or something?"

The girl snarled at him, "I don't have a mom, you idiot! I'm a clone!"

"So there's someone out there that looks exactly like you?" Shinji asked.

"No!" She spat, "The original was male, but when the made me, they had to use genes from a woman to complete my genetic code."

"So you're not entirely a copy of the guy?" Shinji smirked slightly, "Sounds to me like you're his daughter instead of a clone."

"I - " She began until something popped into her mind.

 _Laura,_ a woman's voice cooed softly, _You'll always be my Laura, no matter what they say._

"Laura," she whispered as something warm crept down her cheeks, "My name is Laura."

Shinji gave a soft smile, "It's nice to meet you, Laura."

Laura felt her lips quiver as she scrubbed at her face angrily wiping away the tears. "So, what about you?"

"What about me?" Shinji asked, startled.

"Have you tried your powers, yet?" She asked, pointing to his hands, "I think all you have to do is touch someone, and - "

Shinji raised his hand curiously, and looked it over. He noticed that the tip of his trigger finger was black, and thought for a moment that he'd gotten frost bite. But why didn't his other digits look that way? He checked his other hand, and found the same thing wrong with that finger as well.

Hesitantly, he reached out and poked a curious Laura in the cheek. "AH!" She jumped back as Shinji felt a rush through his body. "See?! What did I tell you?!"

Shinji shook his head, "Hey, you were the one that kept bugging me about these stupid powers!" He snapped, uncharacteristically angry, before realizing that he had flashed through various military training sessions, and didn't physically remember doing anything. "Uh...I think it worked." He said sheepishly, "I think I took in your military training."

"Good," Laura snapped, "Now I don't hav to cover your ass is a fight breaks out."

Shinji grunted, "Gee, thanks. You're a real ray of sunshine, you know that, Laura?" He said, and felt even more out of character for making such a crack as Laura glared at him, "Uh, this doesn't make me take on behavioral traits, does it?"

Laura growled, "Temporarily."

Shinji groaned, "Great."

 _Extraordinary._

Laura looked at him just as he turned to her, "Did you say something?"

"No, but I think I heard something," Shinji frowned, "I swear I just heard some guy talking."

 _Indeed, you did, Mister Ikari._ Startled, the two teens jumped to their feet. _No need to be alarmed. I happen to be here to take you some place safe._

Laura growled as her claws slid out, "It's a Telepath!" She looked around the cave, "Be careful, Mimic, these types of mutants can mess with your mind!"

Instinctively, Shinji's own claws slid from his knuckles. All six claws were ten inches of razor sharp metal. "Come out where we can see you." Shinji said, loudly.

 _I'm afraid that would be difficult as I currently positioned above your location. However, I can send you some much needed attire, Mister Ikari, or do you prefer Shinji?_

Shinji shook his head in agitation, "I'd like to know who the hell I'm talking to!"

No sooner had he said that than a girl around his age, or maybe a little older, came through the ceiling of the cave, startling him into backing into Laura, making them both stumble. The girl giggled as the pair scrambled back to their feet, "Man, you two sure are wacko," she said, and placed a small bundle on the ground, "These are the clothes, Professor X promised," she said, eyeing the young male, "Might wanna put them on, or you're gonna catch a cold."

Laura lunged at her, only to pass right through her. "What the - ?!"

"Like I'm gonna let you nail me with those claws," Kitty said, giving her a smug look, and smiled at them, "You two really are just like Mister Logan!"

"Logan?" Laura snapped her head up, "As in Wolverine?"

Kitty nodded, pointing her finger up, "That's the guy. Big, grumpy, and soft as a teddy bear!"

Laura advanced on her again, about to threaten her, when something was thrown into the cave, the sound of metal hitting stone reaching their ears. "Grenade!"

Laura dove toward Shinji and knocked him down as Kitty phased through the wall to safety as the bomb exploded in a cloud of gas.

"Is that nerve gas?" Shinji covered his nose.

Laura hauled him up, "Yeah, but it won't hurt us in this amount." She said, "Grab the clothes, and let's get into the caves. They lead all over the mountains, and might lead us as far as the Rockies."

Shinji grabbed up the clothes, boots, belt and all, and tore after her as they went deeper into the cave. The sounds of men shouting echoed off the walls as they ran, Shinji being able to keep pace with the girl easily now.

 _Shinji, I know that you do not trust me, but you must listen to what I have to say._

"Why should we?" Shinji asked as he ran, "I haven't been treated like a person since I arrived in that place, and you expect me to just take your word?"

Laura glanced over her shoulder, "Ignore him, Shinji!"

 _Take the tunnel on your right._ Shinji and Laura immediately turned right. "What the - ?!"

"He's controlling us," the girl growled, "Block him out! Think of something! A song, a rhyme, anything to keep your mind focused on it!"

 _If I had wanted to hurt you,_ the Telepath said, _I could have done so easily. Instead I offer your shelter, a home where you can live peacefully._

Shinji grit his teeth, "There's no such thing as peace," he growled, "I've seen too much to believe that!"

 _I cannot force you to come with us,_ he said, _However, I will not allow these men to harm you, either. The tunnel on your next left will double back to a higher over the one your were hiding it, take it, and meet Shadowcat there so we can escort you out of here...Wolverine is with us as well._

That got Laura's attention, and the pair barreled down the tunnel without hesitation. Light was soon visible as they ran, having lost their pursuers in the maze of tunnels.

The two of them blundered back into the snow where the girl from earlier was waiting for them in front of a huge black jet. "Come on!" Kitty yelled, "We don't have much time!"

A bullet struck the ground at Shinji's feet as she said this, as below, he saw more men aiming their guns at them. He looked at Laura, "You're call. Do we go, or take our chances?"

Laura ground her teeth and headed for the jet, "We can always fight our way out later." They made their way to the jet.

* * *

 _ **To answer a question; yes, Shinji mutant codename is Mimic. His abilities are similar to Rogue's only he is able to control them, or will be eventually with practice.**_

 _ **Leave a review if you liked the chapter!**_


	3. Chapter 3: Fury

_**Come on, guys, I know the Evangelion Genre isn't as popular as it used to be, but from the Follows I get, I'd really appreciate hearing from all Twenty-two of you...it motivates me to write faster! Also, to the guest that was worried about Rogue being bereft of love in her life, don't worry about that, she'll get a man. After she learns to control her powers. But the main pairing is Shinji/Laura(X23).**_

 _ **3: Fury**_

* * *

Due to his heightened aggression levels from Laura, Shinji was on edge as soon as they entered the jet. Not only that, but Laura still had her claws out. He at least making an effort to control his aggression. They were greeted by a bald man in a wheelchair, but Shinji knew very well that this man was beyond dangerous if push came to shove.

"Are you the one that spoke to us?" Shinji asked peacefully while moving in front of the girl baring her claws.

He nodded, "I am," he said smiling, "Allow me yo introduce myself. My name is Professor Charles Xavier, the headmaster of a school for the gifted."

Laura made to step around the boy, but he managed to place himself in between them once more as the girl from earlier phased through the hull. "I know who you are." She growled out, "I was drilled in ways to take you out, but everything we went through always ended up in failure in the simulations." She said, pointing her claws at him, "You are a level five telepathic mutant with the ability to control the mind and even freeze people in their place for extended periods of time."

Charles nodded sadly at the girl, "And you, my dear, are full of rage and hate," this gained a feral glare from the young teen, "From the time you were able to walk and learn, you were trained to hate your own kind, and kill them whenever you were told...even your own father."

"He's not my father!" Laura snapped, and Shinji couldn't stop the lunge this time as the girl lept over him, her claws drawn up ready to slash down, only for her to be stopped in midair. "Let me go!"

Shinji felt his own anger begin to boil at her capture, dropping the clothes and moving forward, "Don't you dare hurt her!" His claws extended threateningly.

Charles looked at the boy for a moment, his eyes widening for a fraction of a moment before he nodded, and gently set the girl back on her feet, however, not completely releasing his hold on the girl. "If I let you loose, you will have to behave."

Laura growled, but conceded to the greater power, "Understood."

The professor smiled, and let her go, looking back at Shinji, "I have no intention of harming either of you," he said sincerely, "I think others have done quite enough of that." Looking between the pair he said, "In the moments you've been aboard this jet, I've read both of your minds...and I can't help but feel my own anger at what has been done to both of you." He looked at Laura, "Denied what you should have had." He looked at Shinji, "Treated as if you were nothing more than a tool."

"But I promise you both, now, that those days are over, as I plan on helping you both become part of the world as you should have been. No matter how long it takes...if you'll let me, that is."

Shinji didn't trust him...not completely. He could easily tell a lie when he heard one, having become used to them throughout his life. Shadowcat was behind him, watching them curiously. It would be so easy...

He turned around, holding out his hand, "Shinji Ikari, nice to meet you."

Kitty grinned at him, and held up her hands, showing him her gloves, "Nice try, but the professor already warned us that you might be able to absorb our powers."

"And some memories," Shinji added, tapping his head, "I barely know anything about what the hell they did to me, but I know that if I touched you, I'd get some of your power, and see your memories...then I'd know if he was telling the truth."

Laura smirked at him, "Smart thinking, Mimic."

Shinji rolled his eyes at her, "Just thought I'd use what I learned from you before the memories and aggression wore off." He said, placing his hands on his hips, "So?" He said, looking at Charles, "What's it going to be?"

Kitty looked at him sheepishly, "Could you...put those clothes on first?" She said, blushing, "It's kinda distracting."

Shinji looked down at himself, realizing he was still in nothing but the boxers, and blushed a little himself. "Right."

Moments later, Shinji was tapping the toe of his boot against the floor of the jet as he finished dressing. "It's a perfect fit." The boy said, clenching his fists in the new gloves before taking one of them off, "Now, about those memories?"

Kitty shifted nervously, "You know you're gonna take in some of my powers if you're anything like Rogue?"

Shinji cocked his head to the side, "If I only touch a small amount of your skin for a second, I should only take your memories, and your powers will remain intact." He said, then blinked, "How did I know that?" He asked, looking at Laura, who shrugged.

"Latent knowing of your own abilities," Charles said, "Though you don't know it yourself, your instincts do." He said, drawing their attention, "I believe the people that did this to you programmed your abilities to give you the latent knowledge of your own strength when needed, consciously or subconsciously. This could prove useful in controlling your powers."

"Professor," the pilot called out, "We're coming up on Wolverine and Nightcrawler's location. Looks like they're waiting for us."

"Radio Kurt, and let them both know that we have the two children we came for." Charles said, looking at Kitty, "Go ahead, my dear. Shinji is telling the truth."

Shinji nodded once, and held up the tip of his blackened trigger finger as Kitty held up her own. Shinji made the contact, touching her skin for a fraction of a second before pulling back as a wave of foreign memories poured into his mind. He staggered back in a daze as Laura flitted to his side to support him.

Kitty staggered against the wall, "Wow, that was so - "

"Wacko," Shinji supplied, rubbing his head, "Yeah, I know." He said, smiling, and looked at Laura, "It's cool, Laura, he was telling the truth." He then shook his head, "Gah, this whole personality swap is a pain!"

Laura helped him back to his feet, "If you start acting like her, then we might have a problem."

"And what's wrong with the way I act?" Kitty huffed.

A puff of smoke stopped the girl from responding as Nightcrawler and Wolverine appeared. Shinji was too startled to hold back a yelp when he saw the blue-furred teleporter, and missed the chance to restrain Laura the moment she saw the larger man beside him.

"You!"

Logan turned toward the girl in slight surprise, "Yeah, me, Squirt." Logan said, not realizing the girl was ready to fight. "These the kids you were talkin' about, Chuck?"

Before the professor could answer, Laura's claws extended, shocking the man, "What the fu - Hey!" He dodged to the side as the girl launched herself at him, taking a piece of his jacket with her.

"Laura, no!" Shinji snapped, darting after her.

"What's going on back there?!" Scott yelled.

"Some crazy girl's trying to slice up Mister Logan!" Kitty yelled back.

Logan caught Laura's wrist as it came only a few inches from his face, "Alright, that's enough of that!" Logan growled, "Who are you, Squirt?"

"She's your - " Shinji began, only for Laura to snarl at him.

"No he's not!" She roared, swiping at him with her free hand, only for it to be caught, then surprised both of them when a set of new claws sprang from each foot, and kicked him in the stomach. "All that I've been through, all that I am! It's all because of you!" She pushed him back, gutting him in the process. Shinji darted in and grabbed her beneath the shoulders, hauling her back, the girl kicking and screaming.

"That's enough, Laura! Calm down!" Shinji roared as she struggled.

"No! I've finally got him!" She screamed, "You don't know how long I've waited for this!"

Logan looked from one teen to the other, not bothering to hold his stomach as it healed. He then looked over at the professor, "Chuck! You better explain this!" He roared, pointing the two, "Why does she have Adamantium in her?!"

"One moment," Charles sighed, touching his brow, and looking at the thrashing girl. "Laura... _sleep_."

Shinji felt the girl go rigid for a moment, and then limp in his arms, "Hey!" He picked her up in his arms and glared at the Telepath, "What did you do to her!?" His claws sprang out unconsciously, shocking Logan even further.

Kurt ported next to Kitty, "What's going on? Who are they?" He whispered.

Kitty shook her head and put her finger to her lips, telling him to be quiet while the new mutant held his ground in front of the professor.

Charles turned to face the boy, "She's unharmed, Shinji, I promise you that." He assured the boy who held the girl protectively, "As to what I've done, I've merely put her to sleep for the moment." He turned toward Logan, "As the how they came to be, Logan, the girl is, in essence, your biological daughter."

Logan growled, "The hell are you talking about, Chuck? I only had one child, and you know what happened to him."

"I know," Charles said gently, "I mean that the girl, Laura, is in a way, your child, as she was genetically engineered with your genes, and that of another, Laura Kinney, a scientist that worked for Stryker, and Bolivar Trask. Two names I believe you're familiar with?"

"Too familiar," the man snarled, looking at the girl knocked out in Shinji's arms, "what the hell did they do to her?"

Charles shook his head, "It's better for the moment that you don't know, old friend." He said, looking at the boy, "The young man is unique as well. Stryker and his men found him, and learned that he had a dormant X-gene, which they used to implement a new project, which involved your genes as well."

Shinji retracted his claws, "They called it Project Mimic," he said, seating himself, carefully positioning Laura in his lap, "They kept me sedated for a month before I was ready to have Adamantium put in me. Laura helped me get as far as we did."

"He's able to absorb the powers and memories of both mutants and humans through touch, much like our Miss Anna Marie." Charles explained, "But his is more subdued then hers is, as it is limited to the space of his finger tips. And he's able to retain any powers he absorbs and make them his own."

Scott came back to check on things, looking from the two new teens, to the older X-men, "Everything alright?"

"Fine," Charles smiled at the young man, "Everything's just fine."

"For now," Shinji growled out. "Trask won't let me go so easily...I've met someone like him before."

=x=

Bolivar paced in his office angrily, "An entire platoon and they get away, with the _X-men_ , no less!" He snapped at Stryker, "And now our location is compromised, our two finest subjects are in the worst possible place for us, and we have nothing, _nothing_ to show for it!"

Stryker sighed and poured them both a drink, "You really think that they'll come after us?" He asked, handing the man his brandy, "Logan is one thing, and we can easily handle him if he comes, but the boy? He doesn't even know what he is anymore. He's a liability to them, as well as himself. And by the time he learns how to use those powers, he'll be in the one place that has more Level 5 mutants in the entire world, a veritable feast of power just waiting for his touch."

Bolivar took the drink and downed it, "That is all very well and good, Bill, but we still have the problem of his loyalties!" He snapped, "He knows we're not who we said we were, and he knows where we are. If he gains anymore power, what's to stop him from coming after us?"

Stryker chuckled, "You remember Weapon-11?"

"Subject Wade Wilson, code name _Deadpool_ ," the doctor waved it off, "Also beaten, and killed by Weapon X, and Victor Creed, what about him?"

Stryker chuckled once again, smiling, "Well, you remember I had a chip implanted in him to help control him, right?"

Realization dawned on him, "You put the same chip inside of Project M?"

"I put the same chip inside of him," he nodded, smiling, holding up a small remote, "Once he's gained a bit more strength, and perhaps a bit more powers, we'll not only have the perfect mutant, but the perfect _killing_ machine."

Bolivar began to smile, "That is more than we can hope for!" He set his glass down and clapped the man on the shoulder, "Then, not only S.H.I.E.L.D will fall - "

"But Hydra as well," Stryker smirked, "Now you're starting the think like a military man, Bolivar."

Bolivar shook his head, "We've worked for those narrow minded fools for years, but they only saw what could be attained by humans, and enhanced human abilities. Think of what we'll do when we have our little boy back?"

"I already am," Stryker said, looking over at a portrait on the wall. The portrait was that of the White House, "I already am."

=x=

The blackbird had them back to the United states within hours. Shinji's unease, however, didn't leave him. The professor was one thing, but Logan? The man kept scowling at him throughout the flight. And Laura didn't wake up.

Kitty and Kurt did their best to start conversations, but the young Japanese boy kept his mouth shut for the most part, only speaking when he had to. Katherine Pryde seemed like a good person, but Kurt, he saw from her memories, was a bit nosy, and somewhat of a nuisance when he wanted to be. It was him that Shinji related to the most. In her memories, Shinji had seen the Teleporter with and without his disguising watch activated. He was afraid of being seen as he truly was.

Scott was another thing. The teen was mistrustful of him, and the girl. Understandable, since Laura had not only tried to rip Charles apart, but also Logan as well, and he was her father...sort of.

"Not sort of," Charles said, startling the boy, "She is his daughter."

Shinji scowled, "Do you mind? I'd rather not have someone riffling through my thoughts."

Charles chuckled, and smiled, "I didn't have to, my dear boy, your thoughts are rather loud." He said, "As are Miss Howlett's."

"Chuck," Logan growled.

"Well what else should her name be?" The man asked, "She is family, Logan, and you will have to accept that, sooner or later." He said, "I intend to contact Miss Kinney once we land, she at least deserves to know that the girl she nurtured is still alive."

"Yeah, yeah, some mother," Logan growled, "If she cared about that girl, then why would she let those bastards do what they did to her?"

Charles sighed, rubbing his brow, "Believe me, Logan, she didn't giver her up without a fight. From what I've seen of her more repressed memories, Miss Kinney had to be restrained when Laura was taken from her. You have to understand that she's not a complete clone of you, Logan, she's part of Laura Kinney as well."

Logan sat back with his arms crossed, "As many times as I've gone back to that place, I've never caught her scent, not once." He said, looking at the pair across from him, "If I'd known, I would've gone in and taken her from them. Nothing would've stopped me."

"Did you know her?" Shinji asked, "Her mom, I mean?"

"Laura?" Logan asked, shrugging, "We'd met a few times before I had a falling out with Stryker, but that was about it." He said, thinking back, "I think she was Brazilian...or African, I couldn't tell. Her accent didn't give anything away, and she had bronze skin."

"She's mixed," Charles put in, "She was raised here in the States, which is why her accent was different that what you're used to, Logan, but through Laura, I can see that she was a kind, gentle woman that only cared about the science behind what she was doing. It was only when she had Laura did she know what was going to happen to her."

"Had her?" Logan asked.

"She was birthed," Charles smiled, "Not grown in a test tube."

Shinji sighed as he sat back with Laura sleeping in his arms, the girl giving a content sigh as she slept. "Hear that, Laura? Your mom was a good person."

"Watch it, Pipsqueak," Logan growled.

"Or what?" Shinji asked, looking at the man with sad expression, "There's nothing that you can do to me now that hasn't already been done."

Logan smirked, "I may be out of practice, but I'm still a parent...just watch your hands, _Pipsqueak_."

"Hey, be nice to the guy, Mister Logan," Kitty huffed from her seat, "Hasn't he been through enough already with running around half naked in the snow, and being shot at?"

"And stabbed," Shinji put in helpfully, "Laura got me once already, so your really don't have to worry about me trying anything, even while she's sleeping."

Kurt laughed a little, "I don't think you need to be worrying about her, Logan." He said, smiling, "She managed to lay one on you, remember?"

"Squirt's got skills, I'll give her that." Logan smiled. The jet tilted slightly, making the man grab for his seat belt, "Dammit, Cyclops!"

"Sorry!" Scott yelled, "We're coming in for a landing."

Moments later, the jet set down.

The floor began to descend as the ramp let down, "Welcome to my school." Charles said, wheeling his chair down, "Come, I'll show you where you can rest."

Shinji rose, Laura still in his arms, and followed the professor out. Logan came behind them, keeping his eyes on the boy. They walked down a long corridor, and to an elevator, "My school, Mister Ikari, is far more than you can imagine," Charles said as the six of them entered, "Not only do we offer shelter to those with powers, but we also try to mediate damages caused by those that would cause harm, be they human or mutant."

"So you don't have any problems using your powers on normal humans?" Shinji asked, his eyebrow raised.

"I do not, and will not kill, Shinji," Charles said, "I never have, and I never will. I have, however, imposed my will on someone when I felt I had no choice. To change the mind of someone is to change the person themselves and only serves a temporary solution to the problem. What we try to do is make people, human and mutant, see the errors of their ways, and set them on the right path."

"And what if they don't?" Shinji asked.

The elevator stopped, and the door opened, "We stop them." Charles said, "There are many anti-mutant groups that think our kind needs to be exterminated, or that we need to be registered as mutants so that when we come out of our homes, the world knows that we are different. Racial views over the past decades have never been easy to change, as only fifty-five years ago, we had the Germans committing horrible acts against the Jewish by subjecting them to torture, and to the concentration camps of World War II. And we still had racial problems with African Americans a few years later even after they helped in the war efforts. It's only recently things have begun to look up for them, now because of the increase in mutation, mankind now believes it has a common enemy in us mutants."

Shinji couldn't argue with that. He knew enough about mankind to know that it loved war. If there wasn't some sort of conflict going on, then there was nothing for them vent their frustrations on, except each other, which would eventually give rise to a war. With mutants involved, humans could come together, and...

"Your thoughts are correct, Shinji," Charles said, looking up at the boy as they walked, "Man will rise up against threats, or become one if they have to, which is what they have done. Mutants have been dragged from their homes, and put into horrible prisons, or killed outright because they couldn't control their powers. We have no choic but to hide not only what we are, but who we are."

Shinji nodded and looked at the man, "You said your read my mind...do you know - "

"What you've had to do?" Charles asked, "Yes, and I will keep that to myself until I find out how you came to be. Or, you may tell whoevr you wish, though I doubt anyone will believe something so far-fetched."

 _Sometimes I don't believe it myself,_ Shinji thought.

"I can see why," Charles said, reading his mind again.

Shinji sighed, "That's going to take some getting used to."

"It always does," said a new voice, as a tall African American man stepped out of one of the halls, an eye patch over his left eye, "But then again, I hear the same thing from my own men."

Logan growled and stepped in front of them, his claws out, "What the hell are you doing here, Fury!?"

Fury, as the man was known, stepped forward, not intimidated by the man at all. "You really need to ask me that, Logan, after I hear from my subordinates that Stryker, and Trask have created not one, but two new weaponized mutants?" He said, looking at Laura and Shinji, "I knew you were a simple kind of man, Logan, but I didn't figure you for a fool." He said, "And you can stop trying to read my mind, Charles," he said to the professor, holding a small device, "As long as I've got this, no Telepath can even levitate a hair on my head."

"What hair?" Shinji quipped before he could stop himself, gaining a soft giggle from Kitty.

"Son, you really shouldn't antagonize a man that can put you in a freezer for forty years and not bat an eyelash," Fury said, "Especially when that man happens to be a brother that just flew in at speeds that ought to be illegal when he was just about to enjoy lunch." He pocketed the device out of reach, "Now, I'm going to have to ask you, and Miss Priss there to come with me."

"Over my dead body," Logan growled, "What gives you the right to even be here? You've just broke the law by even stepping onto private property."

"I think you'll find that if a little shrimp has the power to take on the powers of any mutant, keep those powers, and turn them on anyone he wants is on the loose, that the big man that makes the laws may find it a little more important than breaking and entering."

"The boy is safe here, Nick," Charles said, motioning for Logan to back off, "He's not a danger to anyone."

"Says the man that can control the minds of others," Nick said, "I'm afraid I can't let the kid stay here, not when I know that each and every one of your students is a mutant, and from what I've seen this last year, you have another Telepath here, and she's nothing short of powerful, maybe even stronger than you."

Scott stepped up beside Logan, his hand against the side of his visor, but Charles stopped him as well, "You've been keeping tabs on my students, and my school, I can certainly understand that," Charles said, "But you must know that if you force the boy to go, or harm the girl, he won't stand for it." He tapped the side of his head, "I've been inside his mind, Nick, and I'll tell you right now that if you try, you'll have the fight of your life on your hands. He may be timid, but he has heart, and if he's pushed to his limit, with the things they've done to him, you won't survive."

Nick scoffed, "I could almost take that as a threat, Xavier, but I know you better than that." Nick said, "Now the way I see it. I can, and will take that boy and girl into custody, with or without your cooperation," Logan growled at this as Shinji stepped behind Scott, "But that would mean going through two Level Five mutants, yourself aside, and the kid's too green to pose a threat."

"Don't bank on that, Bub," Logan growled, "He's got training under his belt." He sheathed his claws.

"Not enough to give my men trouble," Nick said, "And don't even get me started on Cap, he's been itchin' to see you again, Logan."

Logan smirked, "I'm all for seeing an old war buddy over a few drinks," he said, "But I know Steve a little better than you think I do, and I know he wouldn't hurt this kid."

"Well, I didn't say I didn't have more options," Nick said, walking up to them, "While I'm confident that my men could take down a good number of the mutants here, I'm willing to bet that killing kids isn't high on their to-do list. So, I'm warning you right now," he said, looking both at Charles, and Shinji, "If I so much as hear about you stepping out of line, I won't hesitate to move in on you. And it won't just be me, this time. If I have to get my A team on you, don't think I won't. The kid's a threat, even if he doesn't know it." He said, "We don't know where he came from, or how Stryker got a hold of him, so he is what you'd call a loose canon."

Shinji stared back at the one-eyed man, "All I wanted was to be normal...but a human man wouldn't let me...how are you any different than Stryker or Trask?"

"Really, I'm not," Nick admitted, "But the difference between us is that I want to keep my home turf safe, those two? They want to start a war that'd probably end up killing off half the planet. You, kid, were supposed to be the bullet that set that war off. So you'll understand why I'm trying to make sure that the bullet is a blank before the trigger gets pulled and the hammer goes down."

Shinji shook his head, "I won't be used like that ever again," he said, looking down at Laura, "and I won't let the only friend I've got be used like that either."

"Words don't really mean much to me, kid, so you'll need to do better than that," Nick said, "Prove to me that I can trust you, and I might just lighten up, but if you don't I can assure you that you'll be put away for a long, long time."

"Nicolas, I believe you've over stayed your welcome," Charles ground out in frustration, "It's high time for you to leave, or perhaps you'd rather I have Logan and Scott here show you out?"

"No need," Nick said, and turned around, "Just remember what I said, or else - " POOF "What the - !"

" _Auf Wiedersehen_!" Kurt laughed before porting away with the man in tow. He reappeared a moment later, "Wow, he sure was angry!" He grinned.

"Maybe because you dropped him in the pool, Mister Wagner," Charles smirked as Logan and Scott let out a laugh. "I'm sorry you all had to endure that." He said, looking at the youngsters.

Kitty poked her head around Scott, "Who the heck was that one-eyed creep?"

Logan crossed his arms, "That, Half-Pint, was Colonel Nick Fury, head honcho of S.H.I.E.L.D."

Shinji shivered, hoping it would be a _long_ time before he had to see Nick Fury again.

* * *

 _ **Well, Shinji and Laura are safe for the moment, but boy do they have their hands full! Now I know I made Nick Fury out to be an ass, but really that's what he is, paranoid, rude, and downright scary.**_

 _ **Also, the reference to Deadpool was from X-Men Origins: Wolverine. It was more badass, though I did like the Deadpool movie, but then again, I have a warped sense of humor.**_

 _ **Anyway, next chapter is going to be a bit more X 23 centered. Don't forget, she's probably as antisocial as a person can get, and in a school full of super powered kids? Heaven help us all.**_

 _ **Don't forget to review!**_


	4. Chapter 4: Rough Start

_**4: Rough Start**_

* * *

Laura found herself waking somewhat slowly. Normally she would wake up quickly and ready for anything, but this was different than the other times when she had slept on the hard cot in her holding cell. No, instead of the hard bunk, she felt something soft beneath her body. Stretching herself as she came back to consciousness, she felt the plush covers of her bed, which made her snap to awareness.

"What the - ?!" She jumped up, her claws shooting out of her knuckles.

A grunting chuckle sounded next to the bed, causing her to whip around, and found Logan sitting beside her bed, a large grin on his face. "Not used to soft beds, huh, Squirt?"

"Don't call me that!" Laura snapped, climbing down from the bed, touching the floor with her bare feet, which startled her further. She looked down at herself, finding her old uniform gone, in its place was a pair of black shorts, and a tank top. "What - Who took my clothes!?" She glared at him accusingly, but Logan only shook his head.

"Wasn't me, kiddo," He said, smiling, "You can thank Half-Pint for that one."

Laura crossed her arms over herself, "I feel violated." She grumbled, "I'm more than capable of dressing myself."

Logan chuckled, "I know what you mean. I've always done things myself or not at all." He told her, looking the girl in the eyes, "You're a lot like me in that way...but the rest of you, I'm bettin' that's all your mom."

Laura growled, and shook her head, "Don't even think about trying to act like my father, because you're not!" She snapped, "You don't know how much I've...what I've had to do, and had to go through, just to make sure I was ready to fight you when it was time!"

Logan shook his head sadly, "Squirt, I'm probably the only person beside the pipsqueak that could remotely understand what you've gone through," he said, looking at the girl with a sad smile, "All of this time, I thought I had only one child, and I lost him a long time ago to madness and a mad man...and now I find out that that monster, Stryker, gave me a beautiful daughter that I never knew about."

"I'm not your daughter, dammit!" Laura snapped angrily, her temper getting the better of her as angry tears came to her eyes, "You're nothing to me but a nightmare! All I've ever been trained to do is fight like you, and be as strong as you so that I could kill you, but...but here you are, trying to act like I'm some long lost child of yours! I'm not!" She shouted, "I'm not anything to anyone!"

Logan stood then, and brought the girl into his arms. She stiffened for a moment before she felt his hand reach up and start petting her hair, and relaxed. It felt nice.

"For a long time, I thought like you do now," Logan said, "For the last hundred odd years of my life, I couldn't bring myself to get attached to anyone because I knew that they'd grow old, and die...while I'd still be around, alone."

"S'nothing new to me," Laura mumbled, "I've never had anyone to be close to, and I don't want to."

Logan chuckled, "Not even that pipsqueak?" He asked, referring to Shinji.

Laura scowled, "He's nothing more than an annoyance." She mumbled. "All he did when we were trying to get away was complain about how cold it was."

Logan released her, giving the girl a slightly amused look, "You kidding? The brat wouldn't leave your side until he knew you were safe." He said, jerking his thumb over his shoulder, "Hank and Chuck nearly had to drag him out of here before Half-Pint got her hands on you."

Laura blushed lightly, "That doesn't mean he's important to me."

"It don't mean you're not important to him, either," Logan pointed out, "Now come on and get dressed," he pointed to the lone couch in the room where a small pile clothes lay, "I promised Half-Pint I'd take you shopping for some clothes as soon as you woke up."

"I don't need any clothes," Laura growled stubbornly.

"Hon, you're wearing short-shorts, a tank, and no bra," Logan sighed, "Even if I'm not savvy with today's styles, I know you need clothes."

=x=

Shinji had seen a lot of things in his relatively short life, but the sight of one Hank McCoy was something to behold. The former man looked like a blue-furred bigfoot. But he was a damned sight better than his last doctor.

"Well, Mister Ikari," Hank said, sighing, "I'm sorry to say that whatever Trask has done to you, it's quite permanent," he said as he looked over the medical charts, "The enzymes he injected you with, this Mimic, were indeed drawn from one of our own students, but yours is quite a bit more controlled."

Sitting on the medical table, Shinji flexed his hands, drawing out his claws, "What about these claws of mine?" He asked, wincing at the familiar pain that came with the blades, "As far as I know, I've never even met Mister Howlett, so why do I - "

Hank shrugged, "Probably because they exposed you to a tissue sample from him," he explained, "They must have had some left from his days on Task Force-X to have created Miss Howlett, and give you his bone-claws."

He picked up an X-ray of Shinji's upper body, "What worries me, however, is this right here," he showed the picture to Shinji, pointing to a small object just below the back of his head, "You see this? It's a micro chip, but whether or not it could be harmful to you, I haven't the foggiest idea."

Shinji stiffened when he mentioned the chip, his hand flying to the back of his neck, "Laura said that she usually had a tracking chip implanted in her before she was let loose," he told the doctor, "Could that be one?"

Hank shook his head, "For a simple tracking chip? I wouldn't rule it out, but I highly doubt that's what it is." He said, looking the X-ray over once more, "You see, the materials are far too dense for that, and that right there tells me that this is much more than a simple tracking chip...I'll hve Forge come by later and have a look at you, in the mean time, why don't we go topside and have a look around the school?"

Shinji frowned, "Couldn't you just remove it and then have a look at it?" He asked, hoping he was wrong about the chip, "I mean, it's better safe than sorry, right?"

"That chip is right up against your brain stem, Shinji," Hank said, sighing, "If I went hacking around in their, I might do irrepairable damage, even with your advanced healing factor, the risk too much for me to even think of taking on one so young." He said, and patted the boy on the shoulder, "Don't thing too much about it, Shinji. Besides, Forge is a mutant that is very gifted with machinery, and can render that chip inoperable with just a touch."

Shaking his head, the boy rose from the table, shrugging on his shirt and jacket, "If you think it's nothing to worry about, then I can't argue," he sighed, moving toward the door. "Is Laura up and around, yet?"

Hank chuckled, "Ah, to be young." He said quietly while the boy looked at him in confusion, "I believe Logan and Miss Pryde decided to take her shopping for a new wardrobe." He followed the boy out, "As I'm sure you've noticed, she didn't have much of anything when she arrived, and neither did you, my boy."

"That's something I'm used to," Shinji muttered as the moved toward the elevator, "I've always moved around a lot, so I never had too much to carry."

Hank looked at him in slight sympathy, "Such is the fate of our kind," he said, "But don't worry, you won't have to move around anymore unless you want to. This is your home, now."

Shinji bit his lip, "What about Colonel Fury?"

"Did he threaten you?" Hank asked, having heard about the exchange from Charles, "Nick only ever threatens someone personally if he feels they pose a tremendous threat."

"I guess I do to him," Shinji said, entering the elevator and moving toward the top floors.

Hank sighed, nodding, "Mutants will always seem like a threat to normal humans, Shinji," he said, and smiled at the boy, "But keep in mind, we all bleed the same color when cut. We're just as human as anyone else born without powers. Don't doubt your own humanity just because someone calls you a monster when you can do something they can't."

"It's not that," Shinji said, and the elevator opened up to the school halls, "Doctor McCoy, all of this is new to me. Only a few months ago, I didn't even have any powers, but now I can - "

"You can take as much power as you wish," Hank finished, nodding once more, "But does that mean you're going to go out and take the powers of the first Level-Five mutant you come across?"

"Of course not!" Shinji yelped, "I don't even like conflict!"

Hank chuckled, "Well, there you have it. Trask and Stryker wanted a warrior, but picked out a pacifist." He said, and moved them down the hall toward the dorm rooms, "I myself believe in talking things through before coming to blows, and I always hope to avoid that outcome all together. You're young, and would rather avoid a fight if you can, like me. However, it's not all that often in recent times that violence can be avoided."

Shinji felt that last statement was all too true. Given what he already knew from Charles, and what he'd seen of Laura's memories, the world, at least this one, was almost as bad as his own. But at least the environment was still intact.

=x=

The S.H.I.E.L.D Helicarrier was normally quiet on a normal day, but when the commanding officer came back aboard in semi-wet clothing, everyone had to wonder what had happened. Though most knew enough to not get in an angry Nick Fury's way...most, not all.

"Nick," called out a tall man with blond hair, "What the hell happened to you?"

Nick grunted out a breath, "You don't even wanna know, Cap. Trust me." He said, brushing passed the man, "Shouldn't you be trying to get a date or something with Widow?"

Steve chuckled, "And he's already in his corner," he said, and tailed after the man, "Alright, seriously, Nick, what the hell happened? Last I heard you'd gone down to Bayville to scout out a possible hostile?"

"That possible hostile is a fourteen year old mutant that has no backgrounds," Nick growled, clenching his fists, "From what I saw of the little runt, he's no fighter, but he's got every power your old buddy, Wolverine has and then some."

"So that's what has you so upset," Steve laughed, clapping him on the shoulder, "You ran into Logan and he put you in your place!"

Nick brushed his hand off, "First of all, pretty boy, no one puts me in my place, and second, if that were the case, I'd be more scratched up. Xavier just failed to mention he had a Teleporter in his school, and the litte blue monkey did _not_ like me."

"Wow, I wonder why?" Steve chuckled, crossing his arms, "You've got such great - "

"Shut up," Nick snapped, "I'll be in my office, so unless someone like Cain Marko, or Loki pops out, I do not want to be disturbed."

Steve gave a salute, "Yes, sir, Colonel Fury!"

"Smart ass." Nick grunted as his office door came into view, "Keep an eye on the Bayville area. Something tells me we'll be sending a team out sooner than we hope."

Steve looked at the man, "You really don't trust this kid, do you?"

"I don't trust anyone I can't figure out."

=x=

"Wait for the light!" Logan roared to no avail as Kitty plowed right through the cars in front of her, passing right through them without any harm, "Dammit Half-Pint, I'm never lettin' you drive again!"

"Aw, come on!" Kitty laughed as she careened through the streets, "I'm doing great!"

Laura was holding on for dear life as she tightened her seat belt, "Who taught you how to drive!?" She yelled, hoping none of the clothing Logan had bought for her blew out at the speeds they were going. It had all seemed innocent enough, but once Kitty was behind the wheel, the girl wished she has walked back to the school.

"So, Laura," Kitty said, looking back at her, "what's up with you and the new guy? Got a thing going on with him or what?"

"Eyes on the road!" Logan yelled, reaching over to turn the girl's head back around.

Laura growled at her, "What's that supposed to mean!?"

Kitty glanced back over her shoulder, ducking under Logan's arm when he reached for her again, "Well, he sure seemed protective of you when we brought you both in." She pointed out, smiling, "And you looked really cute cuddled up to him like you were!"

"If this is some kind of hinting that I see him in a romantic manner then forget it!" Laura yelled as the tires squealed, "I'm not interested in guys!"

"How about girls?"

"Kitty!"

"What? No harm in asking!" Kitty laughed as she zoomed into the school driveway.

"Brake! Brake!" Logan yelled, spotting a few students in her path, "Outta the way!"

"Yeehaw!" Kitty squealed before phasing them through the garage, fish-tailing around through the other cars there, and coming to a full stop in a vacant spot.

Logan staggered out of the car, growling, "Pryde, gimme your damned licence!"

"But I just got it!" Kitty protested.

"And that was a miracle!" Laura grumbled, holding her stomach as she stumbled out.

Logan, after taking the girl's driver's licence away, helped the girls with the bags. Kitty had not been lax in helping Laura with her clothing problem, nor had she been kind to Logan's bank account. Thankfully, money was only a small issue for him, having had decades to build up a large sum to live comfortably...or fill out a teenage girl's wardrobe.

"I can't believe girls my age wear stuff like this?" Laura said a few minutes later as she held up an article with lace trim, "You've catch a cold wearing this!"

Kitty giggled as she helped the girl put things away, "That's why it's called underwear, honey." She said, placing a few more articles on the bed, "And it's that kind that helps us drive our boys nuts."

"Our boys?" Laura looked at her, "You're not still on about Shinji, are you?"

Kitty giggled again, "Well, why not? I mean, he's cute and all, and he's pretty strong since I saw him hold you back from gutting Mister Logan again." She pointed out, "What's not to like?"

Laura huffed, "Kitty I appreciate the attempts, but I don't even know the guy, and boyfriend/girlfriend relations aren't something you're taught in my line of work." She said, crossing her arms as she sat on the bed, "Besides, he's a crybaby. All he did was whine and complain the entire time we were trying to get away!"

Kitty smirked at her, "And if it weren't for him, you wouldn't have come, would you?"

Laura flinched at that, "I - "

Kitty bumped her shoulder with her own, "Listen, girl, even if you don't like the guy, I can tell he likes you, and I mean a lot." She said, "I got the same vibe from him that I did from you when I met you guys for the first time."

"Vibe? Laura's left brow rose.

The girl nodded, "Yeah, you both give off this whole lonely vibe that I totally don't get." She said, "I mean, I can actually _feel_ it, and that's saying something."

Laura sighed, "Look, I'm not gonna spill my guts out to you or anything, but I can tell you that my life hasn't been sociable...like at all." She said, "You're looking to be a friend, I guess, but do you really wanna be friends with someone like me? Especially when I don't know how to be a friend in the first place?"

"Look, Laura, I'm not saying we should be besties or anything, but being friends couldn't hurt," Kitty said, smiling at the girl, "I know I'm a bit naive when it comes to a lot of things, but I know I can help you out with getting used to being around other people. Friends do a lot of stuff together, like the shopping trip we just went on, and going to food courts, movies, that sort of thing."

Laura tucked her legs close to her chest, "I've never been able to do any of that."

Kitty grinned at her mischievously, "Then it's time to start! We can even bring Shinji along if you want. I mean, I can bring Lance along and - "

"Slow it down!" Laura said, holding up a hand to stop her chattering, "And why do you keep bringing Shinji into this? He's going to be too busy getting a handle on his powers to - "

A knock came from the door, "Laura? Are you in?"

"Shinji?" Laura asked, "Come in."

The boy opened the door with only slight hesitation, and the girl sighed, "Back to normal?"

"Sort of?" Shinji scratched the back of his head bashfully, "I still have the military training you went through...and some of your memories...sorry about that."

She shrugged, "It's not a problem. Knowing and ally is almost as good as knowing an enemy." She said, "What did they find out about your body?"

Shinji shook his head, "Nothing we didn't already know...except that I've got a micro chip at the base of my skull." He said, dropping the proverbial bomb. And it was just as he expected. Laura stiffened, her eyes hardening. Kitty only had a moment's warning before Laura launched herself at the boy, her claws extended.

Shinji reacted as fast as he was able, which, surprisingly, was faster than he figured. He rolled to the floor just as Laura slashed at the back of his head, "Hey, knock it off!" Kitty yelled, "You can't go around slicing up your friends!"

"If he'd hold still, I could get that chip out!" Laura roared.

"Or you could kill me!" Shinji yelped, trying to scuttle away from her. "It's right up against my brain, Laura, I'm not gonna let you claw it out!"

"You're gonna lead them right to us!" Laura yelled, jumping toward the boy, who rolled himself under her bed.

"It's not a tracker!" Shinji yelled from his hiding spot, "Dr. McCoy said so!"

Laura hopped up on the bed, crashing down on it with enough force that Shinji was nearly crushed by the box springs while Kitty squealed and was thrown off. "And I'm supposed to feel better about that?" Laura yelled, "That's a control chip, Mimic! As soon as you get enough power, they'll take control of you!"

"What?!" Shinji poked his head out from under the bed, "But why didn't he remove it then?!"

"Allow me!" Laura reared back, her claws fully extended, and slashed down at him. Shinji yelped and dove back under the bed.

Kitty had had enough of the whole thing and tried to help him out, "Here!" She made a grab for his hands to try and haul him out. Shinji reached for her instinctively before remembering one vital bit of information...he wasn't wearing his gloves.

"Wait, Kitty - !"

She grabbed hold of him, and as soon as her hands made contact with his index fingers, she felt drained. "Aw, nuts..." She toppled over backwards...while Shinji began sinking through the floor.

"Oh, no, Laura, help!" He made a desperate grab for anything to keep him stable, including the former agent's ankle, drawing her through the floor with him.

"What the hell -?!"

Shinji and Laura sank right through the floor into the room below hers. Unfortunately for them, the room's occupant was still there. "Holy shit!" Someone yelled as the pair came crashing down on him.

"Sorry, sorry!" Shinji yelped as he landed on top of the young male in a tangle of limbs with Laura right on top of him. "I can't control my powers!"

Laura growled, "No kidding! Why'd you have to drag me into this?"

Shinji withered under her glare, "Uh, you were the closest thing to grab?"

The boy they'd landed on had apparently had enough of being a landing deck, and shoved them both off of him, making Shinji scrabble for purchase on something, accidently touching the African American boy's skin with his blackened finger. "Oh, no..."

"Dude!" The boy yelled, whipping his hands back, "What the hell?! I feel drained!"

Shinji groaned as he picked himself up from the floor, "Please tell me you had a passive power?"

"Uh, no," the boy held up his arm, showing off, to Shinji's horror, bone spikes protruding from his skin, "I can shoot spikes from my body, hence the name, Spyke. Why?"

Shinji felt his skin prickle as shinny, Adamantium spikes began growing from his arms, and shoulders, "Oh, no, no, no!"

"Ah, hell, you got the same powers as Rogue?!" The boy yelled.

Laura picked herself up from the floor, and grabbed the boy by the arm, hauling him out of the room, "Mimic, you're a menace!"

"I'm sorry!" Shinji yelped instinctively.

"Stop saying that!"

"Sorry, I - "

"ARGH!"

Evan Daniels watched in confusion as the boy was dragged out of his room by the strange girl, "O..kay...that happened..." He palmed himself in the face, "Jeeze, Auntie O was right, this place is never boring."

~ _Fwing_ ~

Shinji sighed as he bowed his head in front of the girl, "I'm really sorry, Kitty, I didn't mean to - "

Kitty groaned from the floor, "Hey, don't worry about it. I should've known better." She sighed, "But man, you sure do pack a punch with those powers, Shinji, and I got hit by Rogue!"

Laura huffed, "This wouldn't have happened if you'd just let me cut the damned thing out." She snapped. "All this trouble just because you couldn't man up."

Shinji grimaced, "Like I'm gonna let some psycho have a go at my neck with her knives."

Laura growled, her claws extending, "You call these knives, Mimic?"

"Mine are bigger," Shinji pointed out, extending his own claws, all ten inches against Laura's seven inch claws.

Kitty giggled slightly, "You two sure sound like a couple to me," she said, sitting up from the floor, "But seriously, Laura, we can just get Forge to have a look at that chip that Shinji has. He can control most machines and build almost anything. A little micro chip won't be a problem for him."

Shinji sighed, "That's what Hank kept telling me."

"And look on the bright side," Kitty went on, smiling at Shinji, "At least you got a couple of awesome powers, right?"

Shinji groaned, his head in his hands, "That does not make me feel better, Kitty."

"You're just doing what you're programmed to do," Laura put in, "Using the ability you were given to absorb the powers and memories of others is in your genetic code now, and saying you feel sorry for doing that is like a fish saying it's sorry for swimming."

Kitty nodded, her senses becoming clearer, "She's right about that. Our powers are a part of us, so not using them is like going against what we are." She said, "We only hide ourselves when we're out in the open, here, we can be ourselves, and - " Her phone buzzed in her pocket. "Hang on."

Shinji looked at her for a moment as she flipped the phone open, "Strange looking phone." It was thin as a wafer.

"It's a Blackberry," Kitty smirked, reading the text she'd gotten, and frowned, "We're going out after a new mutant."

"We?" Laura asked.

"The professor asked for you two, so yeah," Kitty sighed. "Come on, let's get suited up."

* * *

 _ **Finally! Sorry this took so long, I was writing too many Naruto fics! XD Anyway, don't forget to review!**_


	5. Chapter 5: MRD

**_5: M.R.D. (Mutant Response Division)_**

* * *

Shinji felt more than out of place as he stood next to Laura and Kitty during the briefing. Along with the three of them, the one called Cyclops, and another girl were with them. Shinji's heightened senses were setting off alarm bells about her, though, she looked far kinder than the other red-head he knew.

The girl then looked over at him and smiled kindly, "I'm a Telepath, just like Professor X." She told him, shocking him, "You don't need to worry, though, I'm not as good at reading minds as he is."

Shinji gulped and looked away, "Sorry." He said, only to recieve a sharp elbow from Laura, "OW! What was that for!?"

"I told you to stop apologizing all the time," she snapped, "It's pathetic!"

Shinji scowled, "At least I don't go around trying to carve people up!" He shot back,"I've been shot at, blown up, and nearly frozen to death recently, but nothing compares to you trying to cut my head off!"

Laura growled at him, her claws extending from her knuckles, "You wanna go, ya wimp? Remember I was trained to take down Wolverine!"

"Professor, the lovebirds are fighting again!" Kitty shouted in a singsong voice, making the red haired girl, and Cyclops laugh as the professor wheeled into the room with Logan and tall African American woman with white hair on either side of him.

"Shut up, Pryde!" Laura shouted while Shinji just blushed.

Charles chuckled, "Now, now, children, we have work to do, remember?"

Shinji just looked at the elder, "Are you sure I should be going?" He asked, "I may have Laura's training, but I'm not big on fighting, Mister Xavier."

Charles nodded his understanding, "I realize this, Shinji, but to be perfectly honest, we're stretched thin at the moment with many of our seasoned X-Men on leave, with only Scott, Jean, Ororo, and Logan, you three will be needed on this mission." He said, and began explaining, "As I'm sure Miss Pryde has explained, a new mutant has surfaced, but the problem is that she has not only manifested her powers in a violent manner, but she was forced into doing so by a police group made to combat and restrain mutants that were deemed a danger to the public."

"Meaning all of us," Logan growled, "We'll be dealing with the M.R.D. tonight, boys and girls." He went on, "They have laser weapons, as well as numbers on their side. What we're going to be doing is running interference while Storm, and Jean get to the girl and try to calm her down enough to control her powers."

"Shinji, I've been told you had a little accident involving your powers earlier today?" Charles said, smiling as the boy jumped, "No need to worry, I'm well aware of how and why it happened from Miss Pryde's thoughts, as well as yours."

"Doesn't make me feel any better," Shinji grumbled.

Storm stepped forward, "You do not need to feel ashamed about something your powers did." She said, "And my nephew isn't holding a grudge about the matter, so neither shall I."

"Moving on," Logan growled, causing her to glare at him, "Pipsqueak, Squirt, I want you two to keep the Mardies busy. You've both got some combat skills, and that'll be useful against those goons since they tend to depend on their tech to keep'em safe."

"My name is Shinji/Laura!" Both teens snapped at the older man while Kitty giggled at their reactions.

"Whatever," Logan sighed, gaining a glare from both, "Just be careful out there. The M.R.D. might be a buch'a idiots, but they know how to use those weapons, and be pests when they want to."

Laura just cracked her knuckles, "As long as I get to work off some frustration on these guys, I don't give a damn."

"That is another thing we need to discuss," Charles said, "I do not want any deaths on our hands, Laura. I know that you were trained as an assassin, but killing even one of these men will bring the might of their entire organization down on us. So please, try to incapacitate them, but not kill them."

The girl just huffed and crossed her arms. Shinji grinned weakly, "I think that's as good as you're gonna get, Sir."

Charles sighed, "I'll take it for now, but do please try to keep her in line, Agent Mimic."

Ororo smiled as the boy blushed at the use of his code name, "Now, I'll brief you all on the subject on board the Black Bird, and once we're underway." She said, "Remember, keep calm, and remain in control of your powers. Don't be afraid of them, harness the strength they give you. Be proud of who you are. Remember that, and you will never fail."

=x=

Nick Fury was glad that he was a betting man, because his hunch had paid off once again as he listened in to the broad castings from the M.R.D. communications frequency. They ani-mutant unit was out in force for once, and not having an easy time of it if what he was watching on Bayville News was anything to go on. The city was literally on fire.

And the Mutant Response Division was getting its ass kicked by a little girl that didn't even know what was going on. "Tch, idiots, all of them." He sighed, and pressed a button on his desk, "Send in Rogers, I need to speak to him."

" _Right away, sir_."

It was a short wait before the captain came into the room, "You wanted to see me, Colonel?"

"Mardies have their hands full," he said gesturing to the flat screen, "Looks like a Hawaiian weenie roast down there. Think you and Colonel Roads can move in and settle things?"

Steve grimaced, "I don't know, Nick. Won't the government get on your ass if you barge into one of their projects?"

Nick laughed, "Look at the damage that little girl is causing and you tell me if they wouldn't appreciate the help?" He said as the streets turned to magma, "If something's not done soon, there won't be anything left of the city, or those morons chasing her."

Steve sighed and crossed his arms, "Alright, but I'm going in alone. Lord knows the kid's probably scared out of her mind right now with so many people shooting at her, the last thing she needs to see is War Machine."

"Suite yourself, but I'm not gonna be responsible if you scorch your skivvies." Nick said as the captain turned to leave, chuckling at the bad joke.

=x=

The Black Bird landed on the streets as Shinji and Laura bailed out behind Scott and Logan. "Alright, this is ground zero," Logan roared over the chaos, "Spread out and put down as many Mardies as possible until Storm and Jean get the girl outta here, then fall back to the extraction point at the harbor. Keep all radios clear, and don't hesitate to call for help the minute something goes South, got it!?"

"Roger!" The younger X-Men shouted and ran in different directions.

"Shinji, Laura, keep close!" Logan roared out as the pair started drifting apart, "And watch each other's backs!"

"I don't need him!" Laura yelled.

"Just do what I said!" Logan groaned, palming his face as his daughter sped off with Shinji close on her tail, "Teenagers...I can't believe I have to go through this again..." He sighed, "I can only hope she turns out better than Akihiro."

"Your son?" Storm asked from behind him as she stepped off of the jet, "You hardly ever talk about him."

Logan looked back at her as he pulled his mask over his face, "What's there to talk about? I loved him with everything I had, but in the end, he still turned out just like me."

Storm patted him on the shoulder, "You shouldn't worry about something that was out of your control." She told him, "He may have turned down the wrong path, but do you love him any less?"

Logan shook his head, "It's not him I'm worried about, now, Storm, it's her." He said, nodding in the direction that Laura had taken off in. "She was trained to kill, and Akihiro was trained to protect, but he still killed without mercy. What if she turns out the same way?"

"She has reason to do so," Storm relented, smiling at her old friend, "But she also has reason not to do so as well. Those reasons being you, and that boy."

Logan smirked, "The little runt." He said, shaking his head, "Come on, Storm, we've got work to do."

Storm nodded and lifted off the ground, her hair flaring out as the wind picked up, her eyes turning white as a dense fog moved in, blanketing the city under its veil.

Meanwhile, Shinji was close to freaking out as the fog washed over him like a wave, causing him to lose sight of Laura. If it weren't for his heightened senses, he'd have lost track of her completely. He could hear every puff of breath she took, and the movement of each step she took. She was faster than he was by far. But he could easily keep pace with her. Her scent was impossible to miss. It was laced heavily with blood, but beneath he could catch her natural scent. It smelled of cinnamon, and a flowery fragrance he couldn't place.

Soon, he had caught up to her, and ran side by side with her. Laura glanced over at him and smirked, pouring on an extra bit of speed to pull ahead. So that was the way she wanted to play it? Shinji grinned and matched her pace again, smirking right back at her as they ran through the fog. His heart was pounding with the thrill of racing alongside her.

"Up ahead," Laura said, her voice dripping with excitement at the fight to come. Shinji could already hear raised voices, and gunfire. But instead of being scared, he felt elated. The first body he saw through the fog, he lept, his claws extending, and slashing down upon his weapon. The man shouted before Shinji backhanded him with his fist, sending him to the ground.

Laura came out of the fog just as two more took aim at Shinji, and knocked one to the ground with a jumping kick before sweeping the other's legs out from under him.

The commotion attracted more attention as more M.R.D. personnel began appearing. Shinji then phased through the ground, and came up again behind another pair, latching onto their shoulders, and dragging them into the sewers below.

Laura lunged at the next one to appear, cloths lining him to the ground, and crushing his gun under her boot. Shinji resurfaced right beside her, earning himself a swipe through the head from the startled girl. "Don't do that!" Laura snapped at him.

"Sorr - INCOMING!" Shinji grabbed her and dragged her through the ground just as a hail of laser fire shot over them. He brought them right back up and hurled a flurry of metal spikes toward the shooters' weapons, taking them out with little problem.

Laura ignored the queasiness that her impromptu rescue had caused and snarled, deciding to take it out on the next gunner she found. _"Shinji, Laura, the girl's in our area,"_ Logan said over the radio, " _Keep an eye out for her, and be careful; she's a Geomencer!"_

"What's that supposed to mean?" Shinji asked over his shoulder at Logan's message.

Laura growled and slashed through an M.R.D. shield, and kicked the man behind it in the chest. "It mean's she's got some major control over Earth, more than likely something to do with making earthquakes or something like that."

"Oh, good," Shinji said sarcastically, "Like we really need to shake things up more than they already are!" He spun around and roundhoused another man in the helmet, knocking him cold.

Laura looked over at him, "Really? We're in the middle of a fight, and you're making corny jokes?!"

Shinji just grinned, "Seemed like the best time!" He threw a spike toward a man taking aim at Laura, and pinned him to a wall. "Jeez, there's no end to these guys!"

Laura heard this and grinned, "Is that so? Because I don't think there's enough!" She brought her foot up and put her claw through the arm of another officer, and whipped around, the man still attached, and threw him against a car.

Shinji cringed as the man staggered up, holding what was left of his arm, "Hey, remember what the professor said, no killing!"

"He's alive, isn't he?" Laura smirked, but suddenly noticed that something was off. "Do you smell hot asphalt?"

Shinji sniffed, and sure enough, he could smell...and _feel_ hot tar! "The streets!" He yelped and jumped up onto a car as the streets beneath his feet melted into molten rock, "Laura, get off the ground!"

The girl didn't wait to see why, and followed him up onto the car, kneeling as the streets began to flow with magma. The M.R.D. were scrambling to get away from the stream as it flowed toward them.

Shinji looked over at his friend, "Is this what you meant when she might have a little power over Earth?" He asked frostily.

Laura scowled at him, "Hey, how was I supposed to know that she could control lava?"

"You're supposed to be the expert," Shinji grumbled.

Meanwhile, the M.R.D. seemed to had gotten their second wind as they started firing off rounds into the fog toward the source of the flow. A feminine yelp came from the fog as the magma roared up, creating a shield against the shots. Shinji grimaced as he saw the shape of a girl in the fog, her body covered in fire.

Shinji reached up for his earpiece, "Uh, Logan? I think we found her."

"Gee, ya think?" Laura snapped and lept from the car toward the girl. She landed behind her and chopped her across the back of the neck, knocking her unconscious, and hauling her over her shoulder, "Alright, I've got the target, so let's get the hell out of here!"

"Logan, we've got the girl," Shinji said into piece again, "We're heading for the extraction point!"

" _Copy that, Mimic, X2, good work._ " Logan said, " _Storm will keep you covered, now get out of there!"_

"Roger that," Shinji lept down and pelted after Laura as she sped along. "Storm's gonna cover us. We need to hurry!"

Laura snarled at him, "You wanna carry her?" She snapped.

"They're getting away with the target!" One of the officers roared, "Open fire!"

A laser bolt flew passed Shinji's head, making him yelp, "They're trying to kill us!"

"No shit, Sherlock!" Laura roared, "Now run!"

"What d'you think I'm doing!" Shinji snapped before and idea came to him, and he took off his right glove, "I can't believe I'm doing this!" He reached out and touched the unconscious girl's neck with his index finger, feeling an immense rush hit him. Laura looked back at him.

"What the hell are you doing, you'll kill her!" She yelled, jostling the girl on her shoulder to keep her out of his reach.

Shinji shook his head to clear his thoughts as white-hot anger roared through him. "She was with her father when they just waltzed up and demanded he let them take her away!" He roared as his frame began to glow. He skidded to a halt on the streets, and brought his hands down on the asphalt. With a roar, the streets under his hands turned to a river of magma, and surged up just as he sucked all of the heat out of the molten rock, and formed a wall between them, and the advancing M.R.D.

The wall made, Shinji let his new power recede, and thundered after Laura as the girl kept running.

Meanwhile, from up on a rooftop stood a lone figure, watching the ensuing chaos. "Huh, no wonder Fury wanted to keep an eye on the kid." He chuckled, "Little guy's more trouble than you ever were, James."

A growl from behind him was the only response he got until the man stepped up on the ledge next to him, "Nah, I was way worse than he is. Don't forget, I had a temper in my younger days."

Captain Rogers smiled, "The only guy I know that's older than me, and a soldier, and you just had to find someone that could be a second you, huh?" Steve asked. "What's the story on this kid, anyway? The girl I get, but the boy's got no backgrounds that Nick could find. He doesn't exist."

Logan shook his head, "Your guess is as good as mine, Cap," he said, watching the two teens disappear into the fog, "Charles said it's the kid's story to tell, and even he finds it hard to believe. But I do know that Hydra, Trask, and Stryker had a hand in his powers." He looked over at the super soldier, "Do me a favor and keep an eye on those groups. A kid like Shinji? They'll want him back, and they won't hesitate to do whatever it takes to get him back. It's Weapon XI all over again."

"I heard about that incident in the records," Steve said as he straightened up, "Your whole team besides Victor were killed off to make it."

"And I ended it," Logan said, shrugging, "I've been alive for near two hundred years, a hundred and twenty of those years spent fighting wars, and keeping myself sane, but still I can't seem to keep from killing when I don't want to."

Steve chuckled, "You're doing something good with those kids you're teaching." He said, "And you've got these two new ones. They both need you to get a handle on their powers, and to keep Fury off their backs."

"You can bet on that," Logan said, just as the Black Bird passed over head, "Time to go." He stepped over the ledge, "Give Widow and Hawkeye my best!"

Steve gave him a wave as he hit the ground, and moved off into the fog, "Let's hope the next time we see each other, it's over a drink." He said, reaching for his earpiece, "This is Rogers, threat neutralized. Repeat, threat has been neutralized."

" _This is Coleson, Captain. Fury wants details."_

"Of course," Steve muttered, pressing the button again, "He'll see them in my report. Rogers out."

=x=

"What's wrong with Shinji?" Kitty asked as the Black Bird sped home. The teen was laid out, groaning, on one of the seats, "He looks like he just went three rounds in the Danger Room at level ten."

Laura seemed a little amused at the boy's misery, "My guess is a major headache from taking that girl's power and using it so soon." She said, looking back at the girl they had rescued. "What do we have on her?"

Ororo looked over her shoulder at the trio, "She is Princess Amara Juliana Olivia Aquilla, the only child of Julias Aquilla, the King of Nova Roma, a small island nation that has remained cut off from the rest of the world to avoid conflict, at least until recently when she and her father traveled to the mainlands to study the advancement of technology in hopes of modernizing their medical wards."

"Sounds like they got way more than they bargained for," Scott said from the co-pilot's seat. "From what I heard from Jean when she was scanning her mind, she and her father were having lunch at a small diner when the M.R.D. rolled up, and demanded that he hand her over to them."

"She got scared and used her powers," Jean said, nodding, "It was her first time using them, and scared her more than those men did. Her father was horrified."

Shinji groaned, sitting up, "I can gather why." He said, "I saw it all like it was happening to me." He scrubbed his face tiredly, "She was so excited about seeing a real modern city for the first time, and her father was more than happy to take her around and see the sights before his meeting with the Mayor. What was supposed to be a nice lunch turned into a nightmare just before dessert." Shinji looked up the older woman, "She thinks her father will hate her now that they both know that she's a mutant."

"He won't," Jean said with a shake of her head, "I've seen how much he cares for her. She's his world." She said, looking down at the sleeping girl, "Mutant or not, there's no way he could hate her."

"Try telling that to her," Shinji sighed, laying himself back down, "You can probably see it, the look on his face, I mean, when he saw her catching on fire right in front of him."

Kitty looked at him with slight interest, "Hey, Shinji, how come this is hitting you so hard?" She asked, "I mean, I get that you'd feel her pain, but you're acting like you've been through it."

Shinji rolled over on his side, facing the wall, "I have. My own father abandoned me for most of my life, and only called me back just so he could use me for his own gains..." he raised his head slightly to look at the girl, "I know what it's like to lose everything...just like her...and I know what it is to have absolutely nothing," he looked at Laura for a moment, "just like you."

=x=

The reports Steven Rogers gave in to Colonel Nick Fury were lacking, in the colonel's opinion. Instead of acting, as the man had hoped, the good captain had hung back, watching the fight from a safe distance and let the X-Men handle the mess the M.R.D. had started. The only thing that had come out of the whole ordeal that the man could actually use was Captain America's witnessing of Shinji Ikari's powers in action.

For being so young, X23 and Mimic had impressed the captain, especially in their restraint. The only severe injury that had been reported was a partially severed arm, courtesy of X23, which had been easily re-attached after several hours of surgery. Shinji, what damage he had done, was mostly heavy bruising, and a few fractured bones.

And one account of destruction of public property. Shinji's newest skill seemed less physical than his other stolen abilities. Now he was more dangerous than before. If, and when, Fury was sure, Trask and Stryker felt that he was more than powerful enough, they would come for the boy. Avengers, X-Men, it didn't matter, Task Force X would undoubtedly want their latest creation back.

"What are you thinking, Colonel," Steve asked from the door, his arms crossed, "The kid seemed legit to me. Stable, and well in control of his powers."

"That's the problem, Captain," Nick said, "He's controlling his powers far to easily. Whatever they did to him during that month in Alkali Lake, he's getting stronger and stronger without and drawbacks that can be seen...yet."

"He's just a kid," Steve pointed out, "And I don't know about you, but I'm not in the habit of taking out children."

"It won't come to that," the man said, "At least I hope not. But we do need to be ready in case something like this happens. Hydra uses mutants just as much as Task Force X does, and Trask is pushing for his his Sentinels to be put back into production." Nick pointed out, "If that happens, it'll be just as bad as World War II, and we'll be dealing with a mass genocide."

Steve shook his head, "Not if I can help it. Tony wouldn't let it happen either. Hell, he'd probably lead the charge."

"Just do me a favor," Nick sighed, looking at the super soldier pleadingly, "Keep an eye on the kid. We'll keep watch on Trask and Stryker, but it's the boy I'm concerned about. If something happens that he switches sides, we'll have one hell of a fight on our hands."

Steve just laughed, "I'll tell Banner to steer clear of the kid."

"Dear God, don't even joke about that!"

* * *

 _ **And here's chapter five. Shinji's first bit of action since his escape from Alkali Lake, and it looks like S.H.I.E.L.D. is still up in arms about a power-stealing mutant created by Stryker and Trask, good guy or not. Good luck Mister Ikari, you're gonna need it!**_

 _ **Don't forget to review!**_


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